Emergency Rush
by brokenclaw
Summary: Mike is found unconscious one night at the office...what happened? Not slash!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I've really been enjoying Suits since it began and this has been floating around in my head for a while. Hope you like it!

"I was very impressed with your work, Harvey," remarked Jessica, as she exited her office with the man. "This is a major client."

"Jessica, I'm offended that you sound so surprised. I knew what I was doing the entire time."

The two turned a corner, amidst the nearly empty offices. It was nearing 9:00pm on a Friday night, and most people had left, with the exception of a mere few including themselves and Mike.

"I heard your associate played a key role in the deal," continued Jessica.

"Well, he assisted me with some things-"

"Face it Harvey, the kid has talent."

Harvey chose to ignore this comment as the two walked down an empty stretch of hallway.

"I'll see you on Monday, Harvey." Jessica turned and entered the elevator. Harvey continued down to get his briefcase and jacket.

As he neared the end of the hallway toward his office, a gray shape came into view, lying on the ground.

"What's that thing on the floor?" wondered Harvey as they came closer.

"Harvey, is that a person?" He quickened his pace until he realized that the figure on the floor was-

"MIKE!"

The younger man was splayed face down on the rough carpet, seemingly unconscious. The (conscious) associate maneuvered him into a sitting position against the wall of a cubicle, as Mike began to wake with a low moan.

"No...no…"

"Hey, hey, easy. What happened?" Harvey was crouched next to him.

"Uh…was walking…went black…fell." He was cut off by a fit of coughing which left him struggling for breath, eyes streaming, face pale and drawn.

"Okay, okay, calm down Mike," Harvey scanned the cubicles for anyone to help, but there was absolutely no one in the deserted offices.

Mike tried to speak again, but he broke off into more coughs.

"Don't talk, Mike."

"Tired…so cold…" Mike's head fell one side as his eyes started to close.

"Hey! No sleeping, Mike." But it was too late. With a groan, he slid to the floor, unconscious again.

Realizing that he had given his driver the day off, Harvey quickly pulled out his cell and dialed 911. He quickly relayed their location and Mike's condition, before hanging up and turning his attention back to the younger man.

_Maybe he has a fever…_awkwardly, he laid a hand on his forehead, and realized that Mike was running a high fever indeed.

"Where's the goddamn ambulance?" he muttered to himself. "Mike, what the hell happened?"

After what seemed like an hour, the paramedics finally arrived. Mike was carefully placed onto a stretcher and was soon on his way to the elevator. "Is he gonna be okay?" asked Harvey to a paramedic standing by.

"Too soon to tell, sir. We don't know for what's wrong yet, but his blood pressure is dropping and we've had to hook him up to oxygen. You'll be able to find out more at the hospital." With that, the paramedics had loaded Mike in the elevator and were on their way down, before Harvey could get in. With a frustrated sigh, he jabbed the button on the other one, and was soon calling a cab to get him to the hospital.

**Author's Note:** So…what did you think? Should I continue? Review and let me know!


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note**: I'm glad so many people are enjoying it! I forgot to mention some things in the first chapter because I was so excited about posting this, so here they are: a) it takes place where the show is now, maybe a month or so later. b) this story isn't slash, just Harvey and Mike friendship.

**Disclaimer: **As much as I wish I did, I don't own Suits :(

For Harvey, the trip to the hospital was a blur. He frantically shouted himself hoarse for a cab, before finally sliding into the back seat of one. As the taxi took off, he pulled out his phone and called Jessica. It went straight to voicemail and he waited impatiently for the _beep._

"Jessica, it's Harvey. Something's wrong with Mike, they took him to the hospital. I'm not sure what's going on, but I think it's safe to say he'll be out Monday. Call me back."

Shortly after, the cab had arrived at the hospital. With a mixture of concern and pity in his eyes, the cabdriver waved off Harvey's attempt to pull out his wallet and pay the fare, leaving Harvey jogging to the hospital's doors.

For Mike, the trip to the hospital was also a blur, although for different reasons. All he knew was that he felt sick and weak, and his body hurt like hell. Why was it so cold? Yet at the same time, beads of sweat dripped down his forehead. A pained whimper escaped him and he felt a hand brush his forehead.

"103.5 and rising," called out a voice, filled with tension. Mike wanted to ask what was going on, but didn't have the strength to try and speak. Before long, he felt the world start to mute itself while for the second time that day, he slipped back into unconsciousness.

Harvey reached the front desk, suit only slightly mussed. "I'm here for Mike Ross. Where is he?"

The receptionist gave him a sympathetic look, as she had clearly seen distressed visitors before. "One moment sir, I need to check." He tapped his fingers on the counter until she found what she was looking for. "Michael Ross was just admitted into emergency surgery. I'm sorry, that's all I can tell you for now. You'll know more when he is moved into a room." With that, she turned back to the screen of the computer.

Harvey took a seat in the waiting room, where only two other people were sitting. He pulled out his phone again and realized that it was already 10:30. "Damn it Mike…what's going on?"

Hours passed, and soon Harvey found himself to be the only one in the brightly lit waiting room. He heard footsteps outside and stood up as a doctor entered.

"Harvey?"

"Ben!" Ben Keller lived in the apartment above Harvey's, and they routinely greeted each other in the lobby of the complex. Harvey knew that Ben was an experienced doctor, so Mike was in good hands.

"I take it you're here for Michael Ross?"

"Yes, he's my associate. How is he?"

"Harvey, why don't we take a walk to his room?" The two men set off down the hall, and the lawyer's heart sank. "He's in the ICU?"

**A/N:** I hope you like this chapter! Please review and let me know what you think- it means so much!


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** Thank you to everyone who's been reading/reviewing/story alerting/favorite story-ing (or all four) this story! Also, I am not a doctor by any means, so the medical parts are based off of my online research. If anything is inaccurate, I apologize and please let me know so I can fix it.

**Previously: **"Harvey, why don't we take a walk to his room?" The two men set off down the hall, and the lawyer's heart sank. "He's in the ICU?"

oO0OoO0Oo

"Yes, Mr. Ross has been admitted into the ICU for severe pneumonia, which turned into ARDS, Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. He passed out from exhaustion and the damage to his lungs."

Harvey let the information wash over him, and a voice of guilt sounded at the back of his head. _You should have noticed that he was this sick. You saw that he looked bad and was coughing a lot. _Harvey told the voice what it could go do with itself, and then focused on the words of the doctor.

"So how is he right now?" He kept his voice calm and controlled, just as he would talk to a client.

"At the moment, we're dealing with a persistent high fever. We had to place him on a ventilator because his lungs aren't supporting him. He's critical, but stable."

By now, the two had reached the end of the hallway where a closed door was. "Mr. Ross is being kept in this room," explained Ben, opening it.

There, propped up on pillows and unconscious, lay Mike Ross. He looked pale and frail against the sterile white hospital sheets. That was unsettling, but the most frightening part was all the machines Mike was hooked up to. Assorted tubes and wires ran around, as well the ventilator strapped to him. The soft beeping of a heart monitor sounded in the background of the otherwise silent room. Noting Harvey's horrified expression that he had been unable to control, Ben offered reassurance. "He's in critical condition, but he's stable for now. I have to go check on another patient, but I'll be back later. If he wakes up, press the nurse call button and a nurse will make sure everything's okay."

Harvey didn't do sympathy, empathy, or anything that involved relating with others. But the little voice was back in Harvey's head. _Just saying, since it's your fault he's in here, you should stay. _Besides, if he stayed with Mike, that wouldn't mean he was becoming friendlier with him. It would just be making it easier to work on cases since Mike was right there! With that reasoning, Harvey replied, "Thanks Ben. I'll see you later."

With that, the doctor left the room leaving Harvey standing in front of the hospital bed. Moving closer, he caught a better glimpse of Mike. There was a bruise on his jaw, presumable from where he had hit the ground when he fainted. It was so strange to see him so still, when the younger man was usually full of attempts at a come back to something Harvey told him. Harvey was distracted from these thoughts when his cell rang, the beeping piercing the quiet atmosphere of the room. He flipped it open, not bothering to check the caller ID.

"Harvey Specter."

"I knew you cared, Harvey." It was Jessica.

"Very funny, Jessica."

"How's the kid doing?" He took another glance at Mike's still form, his body unable to breathe for himself.

Harvey considered telling her that Mike looked like shit and wasn't even awake right now, but he didn't want her to continue with the Harvey-has-feelings routine. "Fine."

"You sure? He's been looking bad all week."

"Look who's caring now?" Harvey flipped the phone shut with annoyance, then took a seat in a waiting plastic chair. It was going to be a long night…

**Author's Note:** So in the next chapter, Mike's going to wake up. In the mean time, what did you think of this chapter? Review and let me know!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note:** Not much to say this time :D Hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Previously:** Harvey flipped the phone shut with annoyance, then took a seat in a waiting plastic chair. It was going to be a long night…

It had indeed, been a long night, which turned into early day. By 12:30 in the morning, Harvey had managed to fall asleep in the uncomfortable hospital chair next to Mike's bed. The younger man had stayed still and quiet the whole time, so when Harvey woke up at 7:30am, he stepped outside to grab a coffee and make some phone calls.

By the time Harvey returned, Mike was shifting in the bed, mumbling in his sleep. He set his coffee cup down on the table next to the bed, taking a seat.

"Mike, can you hear me?" His eyes fluttered open for a fraction of a second, then closed again.

"Hey, wake up."

For the second time, Mike opened his eyes, and this time he stayed like that. His face looked pale and drawn, slightly flushed with fever. He tried to speak around the tube, but Harvey stopped him. "No talking yet." Remembering what the doctor said, Harvey reached over and pressed the nurse-call button. "The doctor will be here to check on you soon." Now that there was nothing left to say, Harvey sat in the awkward silence, fiddling with his phone to pass the time. Mike stared at the ceiling, occasionally starting to fall asleep but stopping abruptly when Harvey warned him not to.

Finally, Ben appeared in the doorway, greeting Harvey then turning his attention to Mike. Ben checked the assortment of wires and monitors surrounding him, then stood with a smile.

"Everything looks normal, Mr. Ross. However, I'm afraid we're going to need to leave in the ventilator for a little longer. The only reason for concern right now is your fever, but that should go down with time. If you have any trouble, just press the call button." With that, Mike could stay awake no longer and drifted back into a half drug-induced, half exhausted sleep.

Harvey rose as the doctor prepared to leave. "Thanks, Ben."

"It's no trouble. For now, just let him rest because it's very important that we get his fever down. I didn't want to worry Mr. Ross too much, but his temperature is much too high."

"Is there anything you can do about it?"

"We've administered the right medication, so the only thing we can do is wait right now. The only thing that may make him more comfortable is a cold washcloth on his forehead, so you can try that if he wakes up." Just then, the intercom sounded an announcement. "Ben Campbell, please report to the front desk. Thank you."

"I'd better get going," said Ben apologetically. "I'll talk to you later, Harvey."

"Take care."

With that, Ben left the room, leaving Harvey with nothing to do, once again. As if reading his mind, Harvey's phone started ringing. He quickly answered it so as not to wake Mike, and stepped outside to answer.

"Good morning, Jessica."

"Hello, Harvey. How's Michael?"

"Asleep."

"Alright. I have a new case for you, so do you think you can come pick up the file now?"

Harvey peered in the hospital room to check on Mike. The younger man's head lay tilted on the pillow, making him appear even younger than he already was. Harvey felt a pang of guilt for leaving, but figured he'd be back before Mike woke up again.

"Sure, I'll see you soon." With that, Harvey called Ray to pick him up from the hospital. Though he wouldn't have admitted this if he was being held at gunpoint, Harvey couldn't help but feeling bad for Mike, weak and sick, and now left alone at the hospital. _Way to go Specter, and you still haven't even apologized to the kid for not letting him take a sick leave. _There was no way around it: the voice was right.

Harvey Specter, best closer in New York City, was going to have to say sorry.

**A/N:** Review please! I appreciate all of them! Thanks so much to everyone who's been reading/reviewing/story alerting :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note:** Enjoy this chapter! I tried to make it longer than I usually do :) Also, I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing; it means a lot to me.

By 10:00 in the morning, Harvey had reached Pearson and Hardman. While in the elevator, he couldn't help noticing the sympathetic glances people were giving him while they thought he wasn't looking. He wondered why until he caught a glimpse of his appearance in the restroom mirror.

Harvey looked like hell. His face was exhausted, showing the lack of restful sleep from the previous night. And his suit….his poor suit was rumpled and creased. He stared in disbelief at his appearance before snapping out of it and making his way to Jessica's office. He was acutely aware of the stares and snickers, but he maintained his confident strut and ignored everyone else. Of course, Louis had picked the worst time to be in Jessica's office. Harvey pretended not to see his open smirking since he was just too tired to deal with that right now.

"The file, Jessica?" he requested, acting like everything was normal and his associate was not currently hooked up to a ventilator in the ICU. The woman wordlessly handed him the folder, taking in his appearance. "Harvey, are you sure everything's alright with Mike?" Louis took a step closer to listen in. Harvey glared at him before answering, "Yes, of course, I've got everything under control."

Louis was about to respond, but Jessica beat him to it. "Louis, I'll get back to you in a few minutes. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to have a word with Harvey here." He left the room sulking like a disappointed child, leaving just Jessica and Harvey in the room.

"Harvey, if you need to take a few days off, you can…"

"Jessica, I appreciate the concern, but really, everything's fine." Harvey just wanted to get away from her scrutinizing eye.

"How soon will Michael be out of the hospital?"

"I'm not sure…it depends." _Yeah right, at the state he's in, Mike will be lucky if he's out by a week!_

"Harvey, come on. How bad is he…really?"

"He's on a ventilator, Jessica. Severe pneumonia, his lungs aren't working…they can't get his fever down."

Jessica looked at him with a look that actually resembled pity. "Harvey, give me back that file." Her voice was firm and authoritative.

He looked at her in confusion. "You called me here from the hospital to give me that case."

"Look, you may not want to admit it, but you care. And right now, you're in no shape to properly handle this case. I'm sorry Harvey, but I'm not letting you take any more cases until Mike's not sick."

Harvey stayed silent, face unreadable. He had thought he was doing a good job of not caring, but apparently he hadn't done as well of a job as he thought.

"Jessica…"

"No Harvey, my word is final. I'm assuming your going back to the hospital, right?"

Harvey just nodded.

"Well you're sharing the car with me. I'm coming to pay Michael a visit too."

oO0OoO0OoO0Oo

Jessica and Harvey made their way through the hospital to Mike's room in silence. When they arrived at the door, Harvey opened the door for Jessica while she stepped inside.

Mike was still asleep, not looking any better than he had when Harvey left earlier that morning. The many monitors beeped softly in the background. Harvey watched Jessica take in the wires and tubes, and finally the ventilator.

"He looks pretty bad," observed Jessica.

That only made Harvey feel even guiltier.

There was silence for a minute, before Jessica spoke again.

"You know you're going to have to apologize to him, right?"

Harvey's instincts told him that he should fire back with a retort about how that wasn't true…but he couldn't bring himself to. If Harvey had let Mike take some days off instead of pressing him with even more work, Mike would never have passed out in exhaustion that night in Pearson and Hardman.

"I…I know."

Jessica looked at him with surprise.

"Do you?" Harvey could tell she was expecting him to argue.

"Okay, I'll admit it! If I hadn't noticed how bad it was, then he wouldn't have gotten this sick." Harvey's voice had risen to above their whispering, causing Mike to stir slightly. His eyes fluttered open as he regained consciousness. Mike's head turned slightly as he came to full awareness. It was only then that he seemed to notice the ventilator. The panic overtook Mike swiftly as his hands desperately flew to his throat. His whole body began trembling as he realized that he couldn't speak, could barely swallow….

Harvey and Jessica rose in concern simultaneously.

"Hey kid, calm down," muttered Harvey, trying to soothe Mike.

It didn't work. Mike's panic attack continued as the heart monitor began to beep shrilly.

"Mike, it's okay, you're alright." Concerned, Harvey put a hand on Mike's shoulder.

Gradually, the younger man calmed, with Jessica and Harvey standing close by.

oO0OoO0OoO0Oo

Mike awoke to a raised voice, one that sounded familiar. _Harvey?_ He managed to open his eyes, the drugs causing his vision to be blurry. He saw Harvey standing at his bed, and turned his head to see better.

He tried to talk, and realized that he couldn't.

He tried to swallow, and realized that he couldn't.

Mike began to panic, unable to control his movements or voice. Fear gripped him and his body trembled and shook.

Far off in the distance, he could hear Harvey speaking to him. "Hey kid, calm down." A hand gripped his shoulder while Harvey continued to speak. "Mike, it's okay, you're alright."

Slowly, Mike began to calm down. He regained control of his gasping and relaxed back into the pillows. It was only then when he saw Jessica. _Oh shit._

oO0OoO0OoO0Oo

Harvey could see Mike's eyes widen slightly as he noticed that Jessica was standing in the room.

"Looks like someone's going to be taking a few days off from work," said Jessica.

Mike looked confused for a second, then began to look fearful again. _No, I can't be getting fired!_

Jessica appeared to have read his mind. "Don't worry, I'm not firing you Mike. Just take some rest, okay?"

Mike weakly nodded, eyes slipping shut again as he drifted away on an exhausted, drug induced sleep.

"Harvey, I need to get back to the office. You take your time, but remember, you admitted to me you were at fault." Without waiting for a reply, Jessica left the room, heels clicking on the tile floor as she strode purposefully out.

Harvey wearily sank into a chair. "God, I need a coffee."

**A/N: **Let me know what you thought!


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the slight delay! Enjoy the chapter :)

The rest of the day went by in a blur for Harvey. He had spent it in Mike's room reading the file. After spending all day in the hospital, he was utterly exhausted. Occasionally, Mike would wake up in a panic and the alarms would beep uncontrollably until Harvey was able to calm him down. At 6:00 in the evening, he was half asleep in the chair when he was startled back into full awareness by the high-heeled shoes of Rachel Zane entering the room.

"Mr. Specter?" She seemed surprised to see him there.

"Rachel. What are you doing here?"

"Oh, well, Jessica told me what happened to Mike so I just wanted to stop by and see how he was doing."

Harvey smirked ever so slightly, but didn't say anything.

She stepped closer to the hospital bed. "Oh God…Mike."

"They say he's critical but stable, except for the fever. And he can't talk because of the ventilator."

Rachel was still silent, taking this in. Finally, she spoke.

"Mr. Specter, don't take this personally, but you look like hell. Go home and I'll stay with him for awhile."

"Thank you, Rachel. Oh, the doctor wanted to see him the next time he woke up, so hit the call button when he does." With a quiet groan, he rose from the chair and stretched slightly, knowing his muscles wouldn't be thanking him in the morning. As he made his way to the door, Rachel took a seat, taking in Mike's pale features, as well as the equipment. Harvey paused in the doorway for a minute, watching her tentatively smooth back his mussed hair, while Mike turned his head ever so slightly. Deciding to give them some privacy, Harvey quietly left the room.

oO0OoO0OoO0OoO0Oo

_He's kinda cute when he sleeps_. Rachel had been sitting with Mike for some time now, and idle thoughts floated through her mind. She looked at his still form, so different from his usually energetic and talkative self. Right now, Mike was pale and fragile looking, like the machines were the only things keeping him alive.

Well, they probably were.

Mike started to shift in his sleep, slowly coming to full consciousness. His eyes darted around fearfully, but he slowly relaxed as he recognized his surroundings. Then he realized that Rachel Zane was right next to him.

"Hey," she spoke softly. Mike tried to lift up a hand in a wave, but barely succeeded in raising a finger. Remembering Harvey's words, she found the nurse-call button on the hospital bed and pressed it.

Trying to protest against it, Mike attempted to sit up and resist, but Rachel stopped him. "Mike, relax, it's okay. The doctor just wanted to check on you when you woke up."

Slowly, he eased himself back down into the bed, as Ben entered the room with another nurse, whose nametag identified him as Tom. "Hello, Mr. Ross. If everything looks good, we're going to remove your ventilator." The doctor carefully noted each monitor, making notes on a chart.

"Alright Mr. Ross, we are going to remove the ventilator. Tom is going to help you sit up and then you'll have to cough as hard as you can while we take it out. Can you blink twice if you understand me?"

Slowly, Mike blinked twice. The nurse assisted Mike in sitting up, supporting his weak frame. Rachel moved away to give them space, Mike glancing at her to make sure she hadn't left.

"Now, please start coughing, Mr. Ross." As Mike did so, Ben extracted the ventilator. The young lawyer collapsed back against the bed as Tom readjusted the wires.

For the first time in days, Mike could talk. "W-water?" His voice was tired and raspy, but it was there and it was Mike. "I'm afraid you can't have water yet, but I'll bring you some ice chips."

"Thanks," he murmured exhaustedly.

"You feeling alright?" asked Rachel concernedly.

"Been better." He sighed. "Tired…" Mike's voice drifted off as his eyes started to slip shut again.

"Sweet dreams, Ross," whispered Rachel with a smile. She quietly exited the room as her phone rang.

"Rachel Zane."

"Rachel, it's Harvey. How's my associate doing?" Rachel suppressed a smile. For someone who didn't care about anyone, Harvey was sure acting concerned about Mike.

"He's doing better. They took out his ventilator so he can talk, but he just fell asleep."

"Alright, I'll be there soon. Thanks for staying with him, Rachel; you can get back to Pearson Hardman."

Hanging up, Rachel took one more glance at the sleeping man in the bed before leaving the hospital.

**Author's Note:** Please continue with the reviews! I appreciate them all :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Author's Note: **Sorry it's been so long since I updated- things have been really busy. Enjoy the chapter!

When Harvey returned to the hospital, Mike seemed awake, but also pretty out of it.

"D-dad?" The younger man's voice came out in a slight rasp due to the lack of use.

Harvey took a step back, slightly startled. He knew that Mike's parents were no longer alive, but that was about it.

Without telling Mike that his parents had died, Harvey tried to act normally. _Maybe he'll forget he thought I was his dad._

"Hey Mike, I see you're talking. How you feeling?"

"Dad…I waited for…for you."

It appeared that Harvey's strategy had failed. Looking at the sick and weak man lying there, a strange feeling of pity came over him, and something that felt like compassion.

"Waited for what, Mike?"

It took him a few minutes to respond, seeming to have to summon more strength.

"School, you never came…" Mike's voice trailed off.

Harvey was at a loss for words. This was a part of Mike's life that he had never bothered learning about. In fact, the only person he knew from Mike's background was Trevor. And now he was in Mike's flashback of losing his dad.

He decided to go along with pretending to be Mike's dad.

"I'm sorry, Mike."

"Where'd you go, Dad?" Mike became agitated now, starting to thrash as the monitors began to pick up speed.

With a quiet sigh, Harvey sat down next to him.

"Hey, hey, calm down. It's okay, kid." Tentatively, Harvey laid a hand on Mike's trembling shoulder. It seemed to calm the younger associate since the thrashing began to slow.

For the first time since Harvey had arrived, Mike looked at him with recognition.

"H-harvey?"

"Yeah, it's me. How're you doing?"

"Still tired…" Mike tried to sit up more and fell back again.

"Get some sleep, Mike, okay?"

A brief glimpse of fear crossed Mike's face for a fraction of a second, but it was still a glimpse that Harvey caught. After all, he made his living catching things like that.

"I'm not going anywhere, kid."

With this, Mike relaxed back into the pillows, and let sleep overtake him once again.

Harvey pulled a file out of his briefcase and began to go through it, but was interrupted by Ben quietly entering the room. The doctor smiled at him before attending to Mike's monitors and tubes, and then making some notes on his clipboard. He motioned for Harvey to follow him into the hall. Once they were there, Ben closed the door as to not wake Mike.

"Everything's looking stable as of now. We're going to be moving Mr. Ross out of the ICU later, if things stay like this."

"When will he be released?"

"It's a little early to tell, but hopefully we can release Mr. Ross in a week or so. Of course, he would still be a long way from recovery. I understand that he currently lives alone. Is there anywhere he could stay with someone until he fully recovers?"

Harvey knew that the only option was to have Mike stay with him. Even if Trevor hadn't been somewhere in the middle of Montana, he wouldn't trust him to take care of Mike.

"He can stay with me, Ben."

"Okay, great." smiled the doctor. "If you have any questions, please let me know. Have a nice day!"

With that, Harvey went back to the chair next to Mike's bed, and sat down again with the file.

**Author's Note: **I hope you liked it! In the next chapter…Mike's going to Harvey's place :) As always, reviews are appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** First off, I am SO SORRY that this is so late! I've had so many things going on in my life, but I finally got this out. Hope you enjoy! As always, reviews are appreciated!

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"For the last time Mike, get in the goddamn wheelchair."

A long week had slowly but steadily passed, and now Mike was finally being released. Harvey held back a sigh at Mike's stubbornness. The nurse, a 50-something year old woman named Kelly, had been trying to get him into the chair, but Mike was hell-bent on walking out himself.

"Come on kid, there's no way you can walk the whole way out. You'll put yourself back in the hospital in 30 seconds if you try."

That seemed to finally make Mike come to his senses. Kelly gave Harvey a grateful look as she slowly helped Mike into the wheelchair. He attempted an exaggerated heavy sigh, which quickly turned into a coughing fit.

"Easy, do you really want me to check you back in?"

"Shut up," glared Mike, while Harvey chuckled. "Can we just get out of here?"

"Sure thing, your majesty." Still chuckling, the older lawyer followed the nurse wheeling Mike out to the checkout desk.

"Alright, Mr. Specter, I just need you to sign at this line to release Mr. Ross into your care."

At this, Mike made an odd spluttering noise and glared at Harvey.

"How old am I? Five? Come on Harvey, I'll be fine at my apart-"

Mike was silenced by Harvey, who fixed a determined stare on him. "No. The doctor said you needed to stay with someone who can look after you so you don't pass out again. And since I'm unwilling to let my associate get out of more work by making himself sick again, you'll be at my apartment."

"God, I can just never win, can I?" Mike slumped back in the wheelchair, as Kelly and Harvey exchanged knowing glances. Mike was clearly already exhausted, but of course he was too stubborn to admit it.

Papers signed and confirmed, Kelly handed Harvey a white bag containing an inhaler as well as its instructions. They made their way outside to the car, where Ray had pulled up as close as he could to the hospital entrance. Opening the front door, Harvey slowly helped Mike, who could barely keep his eyes open, into the seat. With a cheerful send off from Kelly, he got in the middle seat of the car, and Ray drove off.

"Ha-Harvey?" Mike's weak voice broke through the comfortable silence that had carried on for the last five minutes.

"Yeah Mike?"

"Thanks f'r taking me to your place…"

Harvey quietly smiled as Mike's voice trailed off while he drifted off to sleep, head falling against Harvey's shoulder.

"No problem, kid."

oO0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0Oo

By the time they reached Harvey's apartment, it was already 7:00 in the evening. Mike was still fast asleep, head still resting on his shoulder.

Harvey gently shook the young man to wake him up. "Mike, Mike, wake up. We're here."

Slowly, Mike came back to consciousness and regained his bearings.

"Whaa? Where're we?"

"At my apartment. Now come on, let's go inside." With that, the two made their way to the door of the apartment. Harvey kept a hand of Mike's shoulder to keep him steady. When they got inside, Mike stared at his surroundings in awe.

"Whoa."

Harvey couldn't help but laugh. When he noticed that Mike was starting to sway slightly, he figured the kid should probably get some rest.

"Come on Mike, let's get you to bed now." Gently leading him to the bedroom, he noticed a duffel bag that Donna had texted him she was dropping off. Inside were a few sets of Mike's clothes as well as other items he would need. Who knew what Harvey would do without Donnna.

"Alright kid, Donna brought you some clothes that you'll probably find more comfortable. I'll help you get them on."

Mike seemed to gain some energy at this.

"I can do it myself, Harvey."

The stubbornness in his voice made Harvey realize that the only way Mike would give in to accepting help was when he realized himself that he couldn't do it.

"Okay, fine," Harvey sighed, handing him the duffel bag. "I'll be outside if you need me."

To his surprise, Mike emerged 10 minutes later dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt.

"Told you."

"Yeah, yeah. Now go get some sleep, you're exhausted already." Harvey made sure Mike was alright in bed before turning to leave. "Call if you need anything, kid."

Mike was already falling asleep again, but mumbled "Kay Harvey…thanks."

With that, he was already in a peaceful sleep.

Closing the door halfway, Harvey sent out a few text messages to Donna and Jessica, letting them know that neither him nor Mike would be at work for a few days.

Donna replied in a few minutes with, _Look! The great Harvey Specter cares!_

Harvey smirked. Of course Donna would say that. But maybe he was going a bit soft…deep in thought, he wandered over to the kitchen to get some leftovers before settling down in front of the television turned down low.

By now, it was getting pretty late, and Harvey realized he had no other option but to crash on the couch tonight. Well, at least it was a comfy couch.

Harvey probably wouldn't have gotten comfortable if he had known he would be woken soon by Mike's screams…


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I'm incredibly sorry for making you wait this long for this chapter. All reviews are welcome and highly appreciated! Thank you for all the previous comments!

_He is being crushed. _

_ He is trapped in the walls of flame that surround him. _

_ The flames block out everything else, and he can't even hear the voices of his parents anymore._

_ Where had they gone? Just minutes ago, they had all been in the car, merrily talking and laughing. But now, it seems as though all hell has broken loose._

_ Fear and apprehension rip a path through him, leaving a pit of despair and panic._

_ "Mom? Dad?"_

_ Nothing. All he can hear is the whooshing tornado of fire. _

_ "MOM! DAD!" _

_ Nothing._

_ The inferno is all around, getting closer and closer and the panic is growing and growing, because 'tbehap-_

_ Wait, what was that? His dad is calling him?_

_ "Mike, Mike, you're okay…" The voice is muffled, so far away…_

_ He struggles against the flames taking him away to his prison, but the despair is almost too overwhelming. _

_ "Dad! Wait, don't leave! Dad!" He prays his dad will hear him and rescue him, but loneliness will be his only companion now… _

_ The voice above is tinged with sadness. _

_ "Mike, come on. You gotta wake up, kid."_

_ Wake up…?_

With a start, Mike jerked awake, instantly sitting up. He struggled to get his breathing back to normal, coughing and wheezing, but couldn't get enough air in his lungs. Suddenly, something was pressed against his lips. He instinctively breathed in, and sighed in relief as his breathing improved.

Confused and disoriented, he leaned against the headboard while taking in his surroundings.

Crap.

_CRAP._

In front of him, eyes wide with anxiety, was none other than Harvey Specter.

"Hey, can you hear me Mike?" he asked, the inhaler in one hand.

"Yeah," Mike replied weakly. Then, the memory of the nightmare hit him. "Oh my God…" he whispered, starting to shake.

Harvey gently placed a hand on his trembling shoulder.

"It's okay, it was just a dream," he said, trying to soothe the young man.

"It was so real," whispered Mike. "They were right there…" Tears started sliding down his face as he tried to stop himself from sobbing.

At this point, Harvey's heart just about broke. Without quite knowing what he was doing, he eased Mike into his arms, cradling him while the floodgate of tears opened. Sobs racked Mike's thin frame while he clung to Harvey like he was a lifeline.

Harvey simply let Mike let it all out, occasionally rubbing his back and murmuring some nonsense words of comfort. They stayed like that for half an hour, maybe more. Mike was too tired and weak to feel embarrassed at the moment, and clutched at Harvey's shirt while he cried. Making sure the inhaler was close by, Harvey rocked back and forth slightly. He remembered seeing a mother rocking a kid on television once, so it must have been something people did as comfort.

Eventually, Mike's sobs quieted. He looked up at Harvey, eyes full of shame and humiliation.

"Sorry, I'm so sorry Harvey."

"It's okay," Harvey replied. "You wanna talk about it?"

Mike let out a choked sob. "N-no." But before he could stop himself, he started talking, reliving the tornado of fire aloud.

Harvey listened silently as Mike huddled into his chest. The poor kid really was alone, except for his grandmother who he probably rarely saw…not to mention his poor choice of friends.

"I got you, Mike. You're not alone, you've got me." Harvey realized he had said those words to himself, as Mike was already drifting back into sleep, exhausted from the nightmares.

As he slowly eased Mike back into bed, the kid suddenly grabbed his wrist.

"D-don't leave…" he mumbled, half conscious.

Harvey smiled slightly at how young Mike appeared.

"I'll be right here, kid."


End file.
